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September 14, 2025 • 23 mins
Mindy and Mikaela discuss with callers whether or not they would turn in their child, considering the Charlie Kirk situation.
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Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
And it's like we just can't tear ourselves away from
looking at all these different videos and the reactions all
dealing with Charlie Kirk. What an amazing man he was,
What an amazing husband, father, champion of God, champion of
our country, everything that's right with the world that can
serve it as feel if you believe that the truth

(00:20):
is in the Bible, that's what he preached, and he
opened up conversations that if you disagreed with him, prove
him wrong. And so obviously you know what happened by now,
and it's just as a parent, you think to yourself,
what if your kid did something like that? You know,
one at one aspect is like, what if that was

(00:42):
your kid who was killed instantly.

Speaker 2 (00:45):
By violently for all to see.

Speaker 1 (00:50):
By a bullet, you know, because everyone's like, oh my gosh,
poor Erica, the poor wife, the kids, and I'm thinking
the poor parents too. They just saw their son, who
was such a good human gone in an instant. So
then we think to the shooter and yes, they obviously
when the images came out, they obviously recognized him and

(01:12):
the father. You can imagine having that conversation with your kid.
Is this you is that you? Because he made it home,
he drove like four hours and made it back. He did,
and then it comes down to I think he reached out.
The father reached out to the youth pastor at their
church said what do I do? Ultimately they made him

(01:34):
turn himself in. Could you do that? As a mother, father, grandparent,
if you know that your son or daughter or grandchild
did this six.

Speaker 3 (01:44):
One four eight two one nine eight eighty six, we
would love to have this conversation six one four eight
two one WTVN.

Speaker 1 (01:53):
Could you do it? Honestly?

Speaker 3 (01:56):
I would have to do it, And I want to
get into some other things too with that, could you
do it?

Speaker 2 (02:04):
You're you're looking at me like they're not sure, and.

Speaker 1 (02:07):
I guess because it's the right thing. And I'm trying
to think of it's so hard for me to see
Kylin or Cameron, who are his age the shooters say
something like that because that's so not who they are.
But you one hundred percent have to that man did
the right thing. You would have to do it. And
if you would, as much as it would pain you

(02:29):
to turn your kid, and you'd have to do it.

Speaker 3 (02:31):
And it wasn't who that kid was a few years ago, right,
So we're we'll get into that. We wanted your calls though,
if you could or couldn't do it six one four
eight two one nine eight eight six. We do have
some general calls right now about Charlie Kirkfred, We're going
to go to you first.

Speaker 2 (02:47):
I see you on the line line three. Fred, what
do you want to say?

Speaker 4 (02:51):
Thank you for taking my call as a as a
step parent. It would be incredibly hard for me to
do that with step Joe, and not that they're any
less and you know, natural children. I can't imagine the
pain that that young man's parents are feeling. But the
only thing you can do.

Speaker 5 (03:11):
As a Christian is what the Bible says. You know,
you've got to raise them up. You've got to teach
them right, teach them they're moral. And that's that's what's
wrong with this country, is that there's no fear of
penalty apparently for so many of these people. They're just so.

Speaker 4 (03:32):
Lost that I pray the Lord had the revival for
all of us, and I thank you for taking my call.

Speaker 1 (03:40):
We're so glad to take your call. And you're right,
there's such a lack of accountability anymore. Everybody just feels
like they can do whatever they want without any repressions. Right,
let's go to Lad. Lad, you are our next caller.
Thanks so much for listening to what matters, so asking
the question if your kid was accused of doing this
or he wasn't even accused. They looked at the images

(04:02):
and then they knew it out. They could you do
that as a dad? Are you a father?

Speaker 4 (04:07):
Lad?

Speaker 6 (04:08):
I am. I'm a father to a son, two excellent
step kids, and who I think of is my own kids.
And I tell you I would I wouldn't hesitate for
a second in turning them to the authorities. If they
did something like that, you have to. You know, you

(04:28):
have to face the consequences for your actions. And if
someone in my family did something like that, you have to,
as a member of society, turn them over to the authorities.

Speaker 3 (04:44):
Despite your life being changed forever. Right, if you were
in that position, I mean, I think about this family.
I think about what they had to go through to
turn him in, But then I think about what.

Speaker 2 (04:53):
Their life is going to look like for the rest
of their.

Speaker 3 (04:55):
Lives, Lad, And it's it's not their faults. There are
many factors that went into this I'm sure, but like
you got to turn them in no matter it's going
to be. It would be difficult no matter what. Right,
So I really appreciate your thoughts on that.

Speaker 1 (05:12):
Lad. Did you see the actual footage of the shooting?

Speaker 6 (05:17):
I did, And I wasn't glad that I did. I
clicked it off, you know when it just kept popping
up into my feed and everything. I saw it once
kind of far away and once up close, and and
that was that was plentny. Like, there's been quite a
few articles written lately about how you really don't need

(05:39):
to see that. It doesn't make your life any better,
and it's it's you're not better off from seeing that
kind of stuff. And I'll just say that, you know,
as a father, there's it looks like this this guy
was really indoctrinated in the online gaming community above all else.

Speaker 1 (06:00):
There.

Speaker 6 (06:01):
He's in the echo chamber there with a lot of poison,
you know, a lot of leftist extremism and everything. Can
I'd say, as a parent, get your kids off those
games if you can get them off the screens as
much as you can, because there's a lot of poison
in there.

Speaker 1 (06:17):
Uh, you know what, You're right, You're right, And there's
a lot of violence in those gaming games.

Speaker 2 (06:21):
Well, I mean that's what I thought, And Ladd, appreciate
your call.

Speaker 3 (06:25):
You know, these Call of Duty games, And I have
a kid who plays cod he's fifteen.

Speaker 2 (06:33):
I it just that's what it reminded me of when
I saw that video.

Speaker 3 (06:40):
And these just and I think it's more And Lad,
this is just my opinion because I've seen extremes in
the Discord world, which is where a lot of kids
go to talk. I've seen extremes on both sides. I
think it's desensitization.

Speaker 2 (06:53):
Mindy.

Speaker 3 (06:54):
I think we have a huge desensitization problem with this
generation because of these digital games's.

Speaker 1 (07:00):
And then when you saw this, you're like, oh my gosh,
that really happened. This isn't a game, this isn't a movie.
That was real life.

Speaker 3 (07:07):
Who writes, hey fascist, catch on a bullet when then
goes and does this, But.

Speaker 1 (07:13):
It reminds you of that other shooting which killed the
two little kids at the elementary school. They were in
church praying. He took the time to not only right
on all of these bullets and guns, he made a
video of himself showing all of this stuff that he's
going to use an eleven minute video and that transgender

(07:34):
shooter did the exact same thing, but even made it
worse because he wanted you to see it.

Speaker 3 (07:40):
Yes, and the other thing too, and Lisa, we're coming
to you next. The other thing that I think is
super interesting is the family knew so right. The family
knew he really didn't like Charlie Kirk like they had
there had been family dinners, but the family never imagined,
in all of his irritation and frustration with Charlie Kirk,
that he would there was no in vcas that he

(08:00):
would do anything like this.

Speaker 1 (08:01):
Well, did you see the footage of the person who
some say that this is the shooter only under a
different name, of him with a bullhorn as one of
the people trying to debate on the microphone against Charlie
Charlie Kirk, and they it went on and went on,
and Charlie Kirk said, you are entitled leftist and he's like,

(08:22):
I'm not a leftist. Why do you call me a leftist?
And he said, you come up here with a bullhorn
wanting to be seen, wanting to be heard, to step
in front of everybody else who's waiting in line, and
they argued back and forth and back and forth, and
it did get heated. Well right away.

Speaker 2 (08:36):
This was put out like this is the shooter, but
it wasn't.

Speaker 1 (08:38):
I don't know. I don't know, because you know, you
don't know what to believe anymore with social media, because
you hear one thing, you see one thing. I hate
that part of it because we really don't know unless
it's beneficially released. Let's go to Lisa.

Speaker 2 (08:53):
Lisa, Hi, welcome to What Matters.

Speaker 7 (08:55):
Hello, thank you for taking my call. I would like
to say that as to the actual question that's up
right now, would I turn my son in? To be
completely honest, I think I would hesitate. I think I
would think about it, God willing, I'm not in that

(09:17):
positioned to know what I would do. I have three boys.
Two of them went to trade school. One of them
did not do trade school or college, thank god, none
of them did college. However, that being said, I also
want to point out the last couple of days, everyone

(09:40):
keeps referring to Charlie Kirk as a political activist. Correct,
he was not a political activist. He was an activist
for humanity. He was a voice for God in the
word everything I have watched over the years with him.

(10:04):
Never Now, of course we all knew he was a Republican,
but he didn't bring that into his his conferences, his
That's not what he was there for. He was not
a political activist, you know.

Speaker 1 (10:22):
What, Lisa. Some stations even went as far as saying
a far right political activist. And you're right. He was
a preacher for humanity, God, country.

Speaker 3 (10:32):
But he brought the conservatives youth vote to Trump.

Speaker 2 (10:36):
We can't deny that.

Speaker 1 (10:37):
So there was politics. He was a conservative.

Speaker 3 (10:40):
Conservative values and he helped get Trump elected with the youth.
So I wouldn't call him an activist necessarily, especialist.

Speaker 8 (10:50):
Call him.

Speaker 3 (10:51):
He definitely was a spokesperson for the administration in many ways.

Speaker 2 (10:55):
I would say that.

Speaker 7 (10:56):
He was a civil rights activist if nothing else. Well,
watch all of his his conferences. He never I watched.
One of the ones that I watched, a young girl
came up to him and spoke of her divorce parents.
One was a Democrat, woman's uh, Republican. Yeah, and so

(11:20):
if you saw it, then you know what I'm talking about.
He never ever once suggested to her which political side
she should go.

Speaker 2 (11:32):
He did not. He did not agree with you.

Speaker 7 (11:35):
Said, God says, love thy parents, honor thy parents, and
whatever political persuasion you choose, that is within yourself. He
did not say, you know what, I'm Republican, so I
think you should choose the Republican parents. He did not
in any way shaped.

Speaker 3 (11:56):
You in his debates. No, I want to ask you
a question about what you told us beginning. And we
really listen here.

Speaker 2 (12:02):
Like that's what we do. We respect opinions.

Speaker 3 (12:04):
And so you said you would hesitate to do that
at the beginning, and so.

Speaker 2 (12:09):
Tell us more about that, because you would not be
the only one.

Speaker 3 (12:13):
Because we know that there are people who aid and
to bet people to get out of the country when
something bad happens, like we know that happens. Why what
is your hesitation, like, tell us more about that.

Speaker 7 (12:24):
That's a very good question, thank you. I would not
aid in a bed to get them out of the country,
Absolutely not, no way.

Speaker 9 (12:32):
Know.

Speaker 7 (12:32):
How However, I do hold a little bit back in
a lot of people saying yes, I would tournament immediately,
and I do believe that because those of us saying
that are not in that position. Now, Yes, I do

(12:55):
think that following God's word, following the law the land. Yes,
I should turn him in. However, it's my baby. So
that's why I say hesitate, not that I wouldn't turn
him in, but yes, I would absolutely positively hesitate. I

(13:18):
think I would again. I Fortunately I'm not in that
position to know either wise.

Speaker 1 (13:26):
You answered it the same way I felt too. As
soon as you're faced with that question, you look at
your kids and you look at there's no way in
my life I could ever see Kyle and or Cameron
doing this. So that's why there's a little bit of
hesitation there. But then you know, the bottom line is
you have to do the right thing as much as
it would hurt you, correct knowing that this twenty two

(13:48):
year old punk will most likely face the death penalty,
and you're you know, that's a tough, tough decision, but
it is the right decision.

Speaker 3 (13:56):
Yeah, I really appreciate your pall, Lisa, thank you for
hauling in.

Speaker 1 (14:00):
And Kayden, we see you. We will take your call.
On the other side of the break again, we're talking
about Charlie Kirk talking about if you're a parent or
a grandparent, would you be able to turn your son
or daughter in even if it wasn't murder if it
was something else that they broke the law, and you
know about it as a parent, What do you do again?

Speaker 3 (14:20):
Six one four eight two one nine eighty eight six.
That is six one four eight two one nine eighty six.

Speaker 2 (14:26):
Give us a call.

Speaker 1 (14:27):
Also, one other thing I'm going to play for you
when we come back. I don't know if you heard
this because you didn't see or hear a lot of
the demonic people who were celebrating Charlie Kirk's death. But
did you hear someone asked AI what Charlie Kirk would
say if he could talk right now from heaven. Did
you hear that?

Speaker 2 (14:44):
No? But I heard something else weird in AI world
about Charlie Kirk. I'll share that with you when.

Speaker 1 (14:48):
We come back. This is so weird because it's like
his voice and what he would say right now from
heaven when.

Speaker 2 (14:55):
We come back. This is what matters.

Speaker 5 (15:01):
All right.

Speaker 1 (15:02):
We are back on a Sunday. It's been a great
conversation everyone, and we appreciate all the phone calls and
the ability to honor Charlie Kirk, who so many of
us absolutely loved. But obviously there is a part of
the country that absolutely despised him for wanting to speak
his truth what he believed people should follow from the Bible.

(15:22):
I want you to hear this because someone went to
AI and asked, if Charlie Kirk could talk to us
right now from heaven, what would he say. So listen
to these words. This is again artificial intelligence, Charlie Kirk
speaking after the shooting from heaven. Go ahead, Chris.

Speaker 6 (15:43):
First, I want.

Speaker 8 (15:44):
You to know I'm fine, not because my body is fine,
but because my soul is secure in Christ. Death is
not the end. It's a promotion. Don't waste one second.
Morning me, I knew the risks of standing up in
this cultural moment, and I do it all over again.
Do not let this violence divide us further. The enemy
wants chaos, fear, and retaliation. Don't give it to them. Instead,

(16:08):
double down on truth, double down on courage, double down
on your faith and on your families. That is how
you honor me. Third, remember this America is worth it.
Free speech is worth it, Fighting for the unborn, for families,
for sanity and a culture gone mad. It is all
worth it. So dry your tears, pick up your cross,

(16:29):
and get back in the fight. Do it with joy,
Do it with strength and never ever let evil think
it won.

Speaker 1 (16:35):
Isn't that wild? Mikayla?

Speaker 2 (16:37):
The voice is absolutely wild?

Speaker 1 (16:39):
Again, that was artificial intelligence. Someone asked a question, what
would Charlie Kirk say to all of us right now
up in heaven? A lot of us when something like
this happens, we do question God, We question how can
God allow this type of evil to happen. I asked
Angela to call in because her father is Pastor Frank.
She leads Bible studies, very very strong her conviction, and

(17:01):
I'm sure Angela, you are faced with that question by
so many people right now. How is this an act
of God?

Speaker 9 (17:09):
Well? I mean, and first of all, that's a big question.
I don't know, a big statement even I don't know
that this is so much of an act of God.
As much as it is, I would say, just if
you and I were having a conversation. First of all,
look how good God is. Right. He created this huge,
amazing world, and then through the choice of humanity and
sin were now broken. And God gives us something called

(17:30):
free will, human responsibility of choices that are made, decisions
that are made, actions that are taken. We know and
believe that He gives us that free will because of
what he tells us in John three sixteen. For God
so loved the world that whosoever would believe in him,
So there's the choice there. He will have eternal life
with him. And So if we're going to say, would

(17:51):
God have created that God make this situation happen, I
don't think so. I think that when bad things happen,
and especially to good people, when we see these evil
things in the world happening, I think we're sitting here
looking at a result of human sin. I think we're
seeing the result of people choosing to do bad things. Now,
the question is is that God designed them to be evil?

(18:12):
Did God create that evil within them? They? Is God
causing those people to sin? And I don't think so.
I think we serve a really amazing, powerful, worthy, holy God.
But we are living in a fallen world right now.
There's a Bible verse that's Romans eight twenty eight, and
it just says that in all things God works for

(18:33):
the good of those who love Him. And I don't
think that evil is good, but I do think that
God can redeem these horrible things and bring purpose out
of suffering. We see examples of that in the Old
Testament with Job, where the Lord allowed Job because they're
suffering and horrific things, so that the goodness of God
could be shown again later down the timeline, and we

(18:54):
could still see the said fast faith of Job in
those times. And I think, too aultimately, Mindy, it comes
to this place where we don't fully understand the brevity
and spectrum of of our God as a full, holy, righteous,
just God. And there's something to be said about the
undiscernible sovereignty of God. And I think this is one

(19:16):
of those moments where we stand here and think he
was so good, he spoke so many good words. He
was the man out front proclaiming everything that behind. We
were behind them saying yes, yes, Charlie, that's what we believe,
that's what we think, that's what we stand for. And
then and then a senseless act took him out, and
we could all sit here and look for a way

(19:37):
to point to God or point why did you do this?
Why did that happen? But I think really the reality
is we're just seeing this dot right now on the
big spectrum, on the big timeline of all that's happening.
I don't know if you had a chance. And I
apologize if you've already spoke to this mindy, but if
you guys had an opportunity to hear Erica's response Charlie's

(19:57):
wife and I I said this this multiple times since
she spoke it. You know, just the battle cry that
will resonate forward from this moment. And it wasn't an
act that silenced what Charlie was speaking about. If anything,
it is invigorated and it created this powerful movement behind

(20:17):
that we could all stand up and say, you know,
but as for me and my house, we're going to
serve the Lord. And that's that's what I do.

Speaker 3 (20:27):
Love that I meditate on that Angela in the mornings,
that the one you're talking about. I will say, I
hope the battle cry is peace because for me, and
we all know that I'm moderate. Mikayla, I didn't know
Charlie Kirk. I am a strong Catholic, strong in my faith,
but there were things he said that hurt people. And

(20:48):
I hope the battle cry. I think everyone should be
able to speak their truth, but I hope the battle
cry brings conversation and peace.

Speaker 2 (20:56):
I'm sick of the political silence.

Speaker 5 (20:58):
Well.

Speaker 1 (20:58):
And oh and I.

Speaker 9 (21:00):
And I want to speak to that. Yeah, I was
just going to say, I think too, I didn't. I
wouldn't die on a hill for sure. I'm not dying
for Charlie Kirk. And I think everyone should hear that
Charlie Kirk was a sinful man. Charlie Kirk was a
man that was a sinner saved by grace. And here
I am standing saying here I am a center saved
by grace. But go I so, no, I didn't agree

(21:23):
with every you know, angle and conversation and like maybe
like really forceful way that he was proving points. But
I will say there's something to be said about the
courage that the man stood on the doctrine of faith
that he chose to speak from, and there is to
be said about say again, I apologized, he spoke.

Speaker 2 (21:41):
As truth from it. Yeah, he definitely did.

Speaker 9 (21:43):
He did. And I think too. And I you know
that this could be rhetoric for years to come, but
there were so many things that were taken out of
context for som bites and for political drive and and
so the context everything is context. I mean in context,
I'm the marathon runner in context, when I'm running that race,
for Columbus Marathon in October, but you catched me on

(22:06):
February third, snuggled up in my bedroom. I'm not a
marathon runner at that time, right, But you could take
that out of context in either way and I could
seem like I'm a liar or I'm telling my truth.

Speaker 1 (22:16):
That's so everything he was taken out of conplex Angela.
We're up against a break. But I will say this.
You know, when other parts happened in our nation's history,
even most recently the last few years, and there was
uproar and riots and setting cities on fire and violence
reaction from let's say, George Floyd. So far, what have
we seen from reaction from Charlie Kirk shooting's peaceful prayers

(22:41):
and vigils. That's the difference. That is the difference. Let's
hope it stays that way.

Speaker 2 (22:46):
I hope that too.

Speaker 1 (22:47):
And I think we needed this. I think a lot
of people needed to hear that, because you do question
God when something like this happens, and you don't want to.

Speaker 9 (22:53):
Let me just say this, mindy really quickly. Two Timothy
one seven says for God has not given us a
spirit of fear, but of power, love, and sound mind.
And I think that is so profound when we think
about what Charlie Cooks stood for and what we as individuals,
whether we're moderate, liberate, conservative, or whatever, in human speech,
we can engage with a conversation in love and sound mind.

Speaker 2 (23:16):
I love that and I hope for that. Angela, thank
you so much.

Speaker 1 (23:19):
Thanks Angela, thank you so much.

Speaker 2 (23:21):
This is what matters.
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